


These Broken Memories (They All Lead Back to You)

by Ambs_Writes



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Altered Memories, Alternate Timeline, Conflicting Memories, Established GertChase, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends as Family, Future Fic, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Magic, Post 3.10, Season 3 Spoilers, This Got Away from Me a Little Bit, established Deanoru, no one actually dies, slight angst, time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:43:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21857755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ambs_Writes/pseuds/Ambs_Writes
Summary: They did it. They saved Gert. They faded from existence in favor of a better future.Then Karolina wakes up with a skull-splitting migrane and dreams of memories that she's sure aren't hers. Luckily she won't have to face it alone.(or a look at how the future could have been)
Relationships: Chase Stein/Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean & Chase Stein, Karolina Dean/Nico Minoru, Molly Hayes | Molly Hernandez & Gertrude Yorkes, Nico Minoru & Alex Wilder, Runaways Team
Comments: 4
Kudos: 240





	These Broken Memories (They All Lead Back to You)

**Author's Note:**

> I should probably be asleep but oh well. This is just my take on what on alternate timeline for the Runaways could have looked like. It kind got away from me a little bit but I hope you enjoy nevertheless!
> 
> Completely unedited so please forgive any mistakes!

_ “Just promise that you’ll find me. Wherever we are.”  _

_ “I will.”  _

~~~

Karolina wakes up slowly, stifling a small groan as she opens her eyes. Her head is absolutely pounding, a constant, pulsing, throb that makes it feel like someone is hitting the inside of her skull with a hammer over and over again. Her eyes fall closed again at the pain and she turns her head, burying her face in dark black hair. Nico shifts in her arms and snuggles back into Karolina’s embrace and if Karolina was able to think past the pain she feels, she might have been surprised to see that Nico was still in bed with her. She knew it was a Saturday and Karolina liked to use the weekends to sleep in some, while Nico would normally get up before her to do a longer meditation session. Karolina didn’t know how early in the morning it was and her pain filled mind didn’t think to check. Instead, she pulled Nico closer and closed her eyes again, hoping that when she woke up the pain would be gone. 

Just before Karolina falls back asleep, she hears the faintest whisper of Nico’s voice. She half-opens her eyes again to check if Nico had actually said something but finds her girlfriend still sleeping peacefully in her arms. Karolina thinks about saying something to see if Nico responds, but the pain behind her eyes is too much and Karolina lets herself fall into the blissfully painless oblivion of sleep. While her sleep is painless, her dreams are not. 

Karolina dreams of a battle lost, of blood spilling over the floor of the Hostel. She hears Morgan’s screams as she is banished back to the Dark Dimension but that scream is nothing compared to the cries of her friends. She can hear them crying, all of them. Molly’s cries are loud and heart-wrenching, Alex’s are the soft sniffles he makes when he’s trying not to sob and the sound of Chase’s sobs are nearly drowned out by his cries for someone to come back, to not leave him alone. Karolina can feel that her own cheeks are wet and there’s a shaking body in her arms that she knows is Nico. Nico buries her face against Karolina’s shoulder like she can’t bare to look at the picture before them and when Karolina raises a hand to hold Nico’s head, her fingers are stained red with blood. 

Karolina doesn’t want to, but she forces herself to look at the figure on the floor. Her vision is swimming, she can’t see clearly but she  _ knows  _ that what she sees is Chase holding Gert’s lifeless body to his chest. She knows that the blood on her hands is Gert’s, that it had spilled out from where Morgan had impaled Gert on a broken chandelier. She  _ knows  _ that.

Until she doesn’t. 

It happens in the blink of an eye and suddenly things are  _ different.  _

Suddenly the cries she hears are mixed with words voicing confusion. Nico isn’t shaking in her arms anymore, isn’t hiding her face against Karolina’s shoulder. Karolina’s fingers aren’t stained with blood and instead they're reaching out towards an obviously confused and distraught Molly. Confused and distraught but not a crying Molly. There’s only one person crying now, and it’s Gert. She’s sitting on the floor of the Hostel, her clothes slowly being stained but not from her own blood. It’s Chase. Chase, who’s dying in Gert’s arms and looking at her like she’s his whole universe. It’s Chase who looks almost happy as he bleeds to death. Except it’s not Chase, because Chase is standing on the stairs and wondering what happened because he was knocked out by...himself? Then there’s another Alex, with a small goatee and a glint in his eye that reminds Karolina far too much of Jonah and nothing makes sense. 

Then she’s watching the scene from above with a different Nico in her arms and a different Molly clinging to both of them and Karolina hears Nico’s promise again. A promise that they’ll find each other no matter what comes next. Then, Karolina can feel herself fading away and she welcomes the darkness coming because she knows that she’ll finally have Nico in her arms again and everything will finally be  _ okay.  _

And then, just as the last bit of darkness encompasses her, Karolina wakes up. 

~~~

This time when Karolina opens her eyes, the pain isn’t immediately so debilitating. Her head still hurts but the constant pounding had faded to a dull ache, like after she had finished taking a test and her brain hurt from trying to recall all the old information stored in it. After a few moments, the pain begins to increase again and Karolina rolls onto her back and rubs at her forehead with one hand, the other trapped beneath Nico’s smaller frame. Nico shifts at the same time that Karolina does, rolling all the way onto her other side. Karolina’s eyes had fallen closed again so she doesn’t see the concerned frown on Nico’s lips. 

“Karrie?” Nico questions softly, resting her hand against Karolina’s abdomen. Karolina makes a noise of acknowledgement in the back of her throat and forces her eyes open again. Nico’s frown deepens as she reads the pain in Karolina’s eyes. “What’s wrong?” 

“My head really hurts,” Karolina says softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Nico slips her hand beneath Karolina’s loose sleep shirt and rubs her thumb across Karolina’s stomach in a soothing motion. Karolina hums softly, and then groans, before shifting around on the mattress until she can tuck her face into the crook of Nico’s neck. Nico’s hand slides from Karolina’s stomach to her back and she slips her other arm beneath Karolina’s shoulders to hold her closer. 

“Is it power related? Are you too charged up?” Nico asks in a low voice. It doesn’t happen often but there have been occasional times when Karolina wasn’t able to let her powers out for a long period of time, and those were the only times that Nico had ever seen her close to being sick. Under-using her abilities had consequences just like over-using them. 

“No,” Karolina shook her head and then winced when the motion nearly doubled the pain in her head, “it’s different. It’s more than that.” 

“More pain?” Nico sighed softly in sympathy when Karolina nodded her head and dropped a kiss along Karolina’s hairline. “I’m sorry baby,” 

“‘S not your fault,” Karolina mumbled against Nico’s neck and snuggled closer. She’d yet to come across anything that couldn’t be soothed with Nico’s presence if given enough time. 

“Do you want me to try and take the edge off?” Nico asked. And yeah, the healing spells  _ did  _ help quite a bit but Karolina would always prefer Nico just being with her and holding her through the pain. But she was in a lot of pain this time, and she needed to talk to Nico about her dreams. She couldn’t do that if the pounding in her head kept her from thinking straight. 

Nico knew that Karolina had to be in an incredible amount of pain to accept a healing spell in a non-life threatening situation but she called the healing magics to her without commenting. Her hand glowed a soft white as she bent the magic to her will, gently directing Karolina to turn her head enough that Nico could touch her temple. The effect was almost instantaneous, Karolina’s body relaxed as the lines on her forehead smoothed out. Nico could feel Karolina’s eyelids fluttering against her neck as Karolina breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you,” Karolina spoke against Nico’s skin, dropping a kiss on her neck before she pulled away slightly. Her headache wasn’t completely gone but it was much better than before, enough that she was sure she could carry on a conversation with more than simple sentences. 

“Better?” Nico caressed Karolina’s face. 

“Much better,” Karolina leaned up a bit and pressed her lips to Nico’s. They kissed softly for a moment before Nico pulled away with the same concern still in her eyes. 

“What happened?” Nico asked, stroking her thumb along Karolina’s cheek bone. 

“I don’t know,” Karolina replied, “I woke up earlier and my head was hurting so I decided to try and sleep it off. You were still asleep but I could’ve sworn I heard you say something. Then I had a really weird dream and when I woke up, my head hurt even worse than before.” 

“What did you dream about?” 

“The night we fought Morgan, but it was different than how I remember.” 

“Different how?” Nico sat up when Karolina did, reaching out to take her hand and squeeze comfortingly. 

“Just different. Gert had died and Molly was a wreck, Chase kept begging her to come back to him and Alex was doing that thing where he pretends that he doesn’t want to cry. You were crying in my arms and I when I tried to comfort you, I couldn’t because my hands were stained with Gert’s blood. But none of that actually happened, right?” 

“No, of course not,” Nico remembers the battle with Morgan all to clearly and it wasn’t anything like Karolina had described. 

“That’s what I thought, been then it changed and it was Gert crying over Chase, except it wasn’t Chase. Chase was standing on the stairs and asking what had happened. And there were too Alex’s and nothing made any sense. And then I was watching all that happen from above, you and I were promising to always find each other, and you, me, and Molly disappeared.” 

“Disappeared?” Nico asked, confused. “As in died?” 

“No, I don’t think so,” Karolina squeezed Nico’s hand, “we just sorta faded out. And then I woke up.” 

“Are you okay?” Nico asked, watching as Karolina’s expression shifted through several emotions before settling on confusion and even a little bit of fear. 

“It felt so  _ real  _ Nico. I could feel you crying against my shoulder, and the way Molly and Chase cried and Alex’s expression, I just-It felt like more than a dream. It was like I had lived it before.” Karolina shook her head. “Which doesn’t make any sense because I know that’s not what happened that night.” 

“Hey, hey, we’ll figure this out,” Nico shifted closer to Karolina until she was nearly sitting in her lap, rubbing Karolina’s back softly with one hand and cupping her face with the other. “Whatever that dream was, if it means something, we’ll figure it out. I promise.” 

“Okay,” Karolina leaned her head against Nico’s for a moment, “can we go to the Hostel? I know it was a dream but I need to see that Chase and Gert are both okay.” 

“Of course we can,” Nico kissed Karolina’s cheek. “I’ll text everyone and let them know we’re coming. It’s about time we all hung out for a day.” 

“Thank you Nico,” Karolina claimed Nico’s lips in a kiss again, stroking her fingers through Nico’s loose hair. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” Nico stole another kiss, “go start the shower. I’ll join you in a minute.” 

Karolina smiled lightly and climbed out of their bed, headed towards the en-suit bathroom to start getting ready for the day. Nico reached for her phone and sent a quick message to the Runaways group chat before following her girlfriend. 

~~~

An hour later, Karolina and Nico walked into the Hostel where the rest of their friends were already waiting for them. They’d made several changes to the huge mansion over the years but the place was always going to feel like a second home to Nico. Following the sound of their friend’s voices, Karolina and Nico made their way into the room that Chase and Alex had turned into a den for them during one of their first renovation projects (after they had fixed up the bedrooms so Alex didn’t have to sleep behind a dirty sheet strung from the ceiling). The space wasn’t huge but it was used well, with a large sectional couch along the back two walls that was big enough for all six of them to sit comfortably with room for Old Lace, an enormous television mounted to the wall in the other corner so that it could be comfortably seen from all seats, and every game system available hooked up. 

Gert rose from her seat behind where Chase was sitting on a beanbag with a controller in his hand to greet Karolina and Nico with hugs. Karolina held on to Gert a little tighter and a little longer than normal. Gert sent Nico a questioning glance but Nico shook her head and indicated that Karolina would explain. Gert nodded in acceptance and returned the extra tight squeeze Karolina had given her before stepping back so Molly, Alex, and Chase could each get their own hugs - after Alex paused the game he and Chase were playing while they waited. Chase received the same kind of extra long extra tight hug that Gert had but instead of looking to Nico, Chase whispered something in Karolina’s ear. 

“Everything okay, K?” Chase asked, letting Karolina hug him for as long as she needed too. Karolina nodded. 

“Yeah, C, everything’s okay.” Karolina squeezed his waist once more and then pulled away from him so they could make their way over to the couch where their respective partners were waiting for them. 

Chase looked at Karolina as she sat down beside Nico. He knew Karolina better than almost anyone, Nico being the only exception. She was his best friend, the first person he told about his plan to propose to Gert. She’d gone with him to help pick out the ring, helped him plan the date that he ended up asking Gert for her hand and even done so without telling Nico what was going on at his request. They’d bonded over being so manipulated by Jonah in the past, and about how they overcame that and if there was ever something happening in Chase’s life that he felt he couldn’t talk to Gert about, Karolina would be the first person he turned too. He knew her well enough to say that there was most definitely something off about her. It wasn’t just the hint of pain in her eyes, it was the way she clinged to Nico like she was scared if she let go Nico would disappear. It was the way her eyes kept surveying Gert and Chase like she was looking for any sign of injury. 

“What’s going on, K?” Chase asked after a few minutes of small talk that he hadn’t really been paying attention too. “You look like you’re upset.” 

“I’m not upset, exactly,” Karolina had her arm wrapped around Nico’s shoulders but she seemed weirdly un-relaxed. “I just had a weird dream and I needed to see that we’re all okay. That’s all.” 

“What kind of dream?” Alex asked, tossing his controller to the side. He’d been about to start their game back up when Chase started talking. 

“I’m not sure. It felt like a memory but I know it didn’t actually happen.” Karolina sighed and lifted the arm that wasn’t wrapped around Nico’s shoulders to rub at her temple again. Nico frowned slightly and let her hand glow white as she touched her fingertips to Karolina’s temple. “Add in this insane migraine and I have no idea what’s happening.” 

The other Runaways frowned at the display. They were well aware of what happened when Karolina went too long without expelling some of the solar energy in her body, but they’d never seen her hurt enough to want a healing spell. Judging by Nico’s expression, that wasn’t the first healing spell she had administered that day which was even more concerning. 

“What did you dream about?” Gert asked, running her hand along Old Lace’s snout. The deinonychus let out a soft, rumbling-like pur as if she was trying to soothe everyone in the room at once. 

“That night against Morgan, but it was different,” Karolina explained her dreams just like she had to Nico only an hour before. She explained how real it felt to her, down to Gert’s blood on her hand, but how she knows it didn’t happen like that. “You’re both right here, and perfectly fine.” 

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Alex said, stroking his clean-shaven chin. Karolina looked at him and only saw her friend since childhood, Nico’s best friend in the world, every day, slightly nerdy Alex. There wasn’t any trace of the gleam in his eyes that had reminded her of Jonah in her dreams. “But, I guess nothing in our lives has really made sense the last few years.” 

“Do you want to take something for the migraine?” Gert asked. “I know Nico’s healing magic is working but it might wear off.” 

“No, I think I’ll be okay,” Karolina rubs Nico’s shoulder in a motion that soothes both of them. Karolina because it reminds her that Nico is right there by her side and Nico because she knows that Karolina’s okay when she’s reaching out. Karolina tends to close herself off from physical touch when she’s really upset. “I just need to remind myself that we’re all here, and we’re all okay.” 

“How are we going to do that?” Molly asks, obviously eager to help. Karolina smiles at the eager teen. 

“Just do what we always do when we’re together,” Karolina shrugs, “although if we could hold off on the saving the world from an apocalypse things just for today, that’d be great.” 

“I think we can manage that,” Alex says as they all chuckle. “Mario Kart tournament?” 

The Runaways spent the next several hours simply hanging out together like they used to do, both before and after they learned what their parents Pride had really been about. Chase and Alex were the most competitive with each other, despite the fact that even Alex-with all his gaming skills-almost always lost to Molly when they played Mario Kart. Gert rolls her eyes but the competitive spirit captures her too, to a lesser degree, and isn’t long before the four racers have their entire bodies involved in the game. Nico and Karolina sit back together, they’ll take the place of the lowest two scores for the next race, and watch as all four of their friends jump and down and trip over one another as they steer, despite the fact that nothing they do affects the game play since the controls are a simple and having nothing to do with throwing themselves from side to side each time they turn. Molly cheers victoriously when she crosses the finish line first and high-fives Chase who had come in second. Gert hands her controller to Karolina without complaint and Alex begrudgingly does the same for Nico after mumbling about the game being rigged under his breath. 

The games continue in the same manner for several hours. They move on to Super Smash Brothers, after Molly destroys them all at Mario Kart, and decide to play two at a time and double elimination. During one of the times that Karolina and Chase are battling, Nico and Gert slip out of the Hostel to pick up pizza for everyone and Nico stops by her and Karolina’s apartment to grab their overnight bags. She knows Karolina well enough to know that she’ll want to stay the night in their old bedroom at the Hostel and she’s more than happy to oblige. She’d missed these easy days with their friends and although she wouldn’t trade the magical training she’d gotten for her old dependence on the Staff, she does regret how much time she had to spend away from her friends while she trained. 

It hadn’t been easy for Nico to master the magics she can call so easily to her hands now. After Morgan, Nico had started training with her mother but it soon became apparent that Tina was simply too out of practice to guide Nico the way she needed to be guided. Tina had discussed several options with Nico but Nico hadn’t liked any of them. They all required her to leave her friends, leave Karolina behind and Nico couldn’t do it. Not after she fought so hard to get them all back again. Not after she had almost lost Karolina so many times before. Karolina had encouraged Nico to keep looking for a mentor, and promised that if she needed to leave, Karolina would be right there waiting for her when she got back. 

By either a wild stroke of luck or her mother calling in more favors than realistically possible, Nico had accidentally ended up in the New York Sanctum one day while practicing teleportation spells and had found Dr. Stephen Strange sitting there like he was waiting for her. Apparently, he had been waiting for her and was ready to take her on as his apprentice. Nico almost didn’t accept the offer, even if she was still in the US, the first year of her training would require minimal contact with the world outside the New York Sanctum. She and Karolina had argued about it for weeks before Nico finally agreed to take the apprenticeship, with several promises that she could be contacted if her friends needed her and even more assurances that the Sanctum had great WiFi so she wouldn’t be completely off the grid. 

The first six months were the hardest. Dr. Strange had agreed to give her a three week break halfway through her first year, but only if she agreed to no contact with her friends during those first six months. The training was invaluable, but every night Nico had felt cold alone. Old nightmares had surfaced and she missed Karolina more than she thought possible, but those were her only distractions. Nico had been determined to prove herself worthy of being Dr. Strange’s apprentice, of making this time away from Karolina and the others matter, and the work had paid off. The effort was more than worth it when Nico finally got see Karolina again at the end of those six months. Nico had teleported right into their bedroom at the Hostel and found Karolina doing her own training, hovering over their bed with her lights on proud display dancing around the room. For a moment, Nico had simply stared and wondered how she ever managed to earn the love of that magnificent woman. Then, Karolina had noticed that she was home and together they created a whole different kind of magic, several times. The other Runaways didn’t even know that Nico was home until the next morning. 

It was easier after that, the no contact rule had been lifted so Nico could at least call her friends and facetime Karolina. She wasn’t allowed to leave again until the end of the first year, but after that Nico could earn the privilege to visit her friends on the weekend if she wasn’t overly distracted while training. Dr. Strange had been impressed with Nico’s ability, especially after she outgrew the Staff of One in under a year. He pushed her hard, but Nico was grateful because she had gotten to reap the rewards earlier. Her three year apprenticeship had ended only a few months ago, a full two years before Strange had initially estimated her training time. She and Karolina had found an apartment together and moved out of the Hostel while Karolina worked on her art degree with a minor in business and finance. Nico began working under her mother at Wizard, letting herself be groomed to take over the company once she and Tina both agreed that she was ready. After everything they had been through, it had started to feel like they were finally getting to start their lives together. 

Karolina was asleep on the couch when Nico and Gert got back to the Hostel, curled up under a soft blanket with a protective Old Lace curled up in the space below her. Nico waved her hand to send her and Karolina’s bags up to their room as she made her way to her girlfriend. Chase, Alex, and Molly had traded video games for searching for something to watch while they waited for the others to get back. Nico smiled at them gratefully when she saw that the curtains had been pulled closed. Karolina’s headache must have returned. 

“She was just starting to hurt again when she fell asleep,” Chase said softly. “But she’s seemed okay since then.” 

“Do you think there’s something messing with her mind?” Alex asked as Nico kneeled in front of her girlfriend, watching as his best friend studied Karolina’s face for a moment. She kissed Karolina’s forehead and some of the stress lines faded. “Something magical maybe?” 

“It’s possible,” Nico shrugged, “but we haven’t been in contact with anything that I know of that would affect her like this.” 

“Maybe it’s the Magistrate side of her? I can check the Abstract,” Alex offered kindly. Nico shook her head. 

“No she said earlier that it feels different than the headaches she gets when she doesn’t use her powers. I’m not sure what’s happening.” Nico frowned again and leaned forward to kiss Karolina’s temple. Karolina mumbled something in her sleep and shifted a bit. 

“We’ll figure out how to help her Nico,” Chase promised, squeezing Nico’s shoulder as he passed by her. Nico nodded, knowing that Chase was right. Whatever was causing Karolina this much pain, be it mystical or natural, Nico would find a way to make it stop and she knew her family would be with her every step of the way. 

~

Karolina thought she was fine when she woke up in the morning. Her headache was gone, almost miraculously so. She and Nico had slept in again, woke up together and lazily made their way down the stairs to join the others. Karolina felt so much better than she had the day before, much to Nico’s relief. 

“How you feeling, K?” Chase asked as they sat down for a late breakfast with the others. 

“Better,” Karolina pulled the cup of coffee Gert slid her way close and took a slow sip, “much better actually. It’s like my head never hurt at all.” 

“That’s great,” Gert said in a tone of voice that made it seem like she had wanted to add,  _ but really weird _ . 

“Yeah,” Karolina felt Nico’s hand on her thigh and looked over at her girlfriend. Nico offered her a smile and Karolina smiled back before looking around the room and noticing that one of their group was missing. “Where’s Molly?” 

“I guess she’s still asleep,” Gert said as she got up. “I’ll go check on her.” 

“Thanks for indulging me yesterday guys, with the games and movies and spending all day holed up here,” Karolina gestured at the space around them. 

“Of course, K,” Chase shrugged like it was no big deal. 

“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Alex added, squeezing far too much whipped cream onto a stack of pancakes. “Besides, yesterday was fun. We should do stuff like that more often.” 

“I guess we have all been pretty busy recently,” Nico said. “Maybe we can do something like this once a month or something.” 

“You heard the boss,” Chase pointed at Nico, “Runaways mandatory hang out session once a month.” 

“I didn’t say it was mandatory,” Nico rolled her eyes. Karolina took her hand and squeezed softly, “but it might be fun to watch you two lose to Molly every few weeks.” 

“Excuse me but I believe I won the whole thing last night,” Alex scoffed playfully. 

“Only after Molly decided to stop playing and play fetch with Old Lace instead,” Chase teased. Alex flicked a bit of pancake at him and they all laughed. 

Alex and Chase continued teasing one another as they ate, Karolina occasionally offering her own playful jabs at the two boys. Nico was happy to see that her girlfriend was feeling back to normal again, but she couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach. Something about Karolina’s headache and recovery didn’t make sense, and Nico’s nerves were on edge. She could feel that there was something happening, like the whisper of magic across her skin when she casts a powerful spell, but she had no base to go off of. Karolina getting a headache, while not common, is hardly a world-ending event that would warrant the tight ball of anticipation in Nico’s stomach. Something was about to happen. 

“Hey guys,” Gert came back into the dining room, her brow pinched in concern. “Something’s wrong with Molly. She said she had really weird dreams and now her head hurts. She couldn’t even open her eyes.” 

“That’s exactly how I was yesterday morning,” Karolina said as she shared a look with Nico. “We should go-whoa,” Karolina paused from trying to get up as her vision began to swim slightly. She swayed on her feet only to be carefully guided back into a chair by Nico and Alex. 

“Karrie?” Nico asked, rubbing Karolina’s shoulder. 

“I’m fine,” Karolina released a breath through her teeth. “I’m fine, go check on Molly. If she hurts like I did, she’ll need a healing spell.” 

“We’ll make sure she doesn’t fall again,” Chase indicated himself and Alex when he saw Nico’s reluctance to leave. “She’ll be okay, promise.” 

“If something happens, yell for me,” Nico ordered before she pressed a kiss into Karolina’s hair. Her hand moved from Karolina’s shoulder to her elbow and then to her wrist until their hands parted as Nico walked away, holding on until she couldn’t stretch her arm out any further. 

As Alex and Chase helped Karolina to the den, Nico followed Gert back to Molly’s room. They found Molly laying on her bed, curled into a ball with the blankets pulled over her head. She suddenly seemed so much younger than she was, maybe even as young as she could have been still if their lives hadn’t been changed by Pride and Jonah and Morgan. Nico had to take a second to shake herself out of her thoughts before she approached her youngest friend. 

“Molly, sweetie, it’s me. I can help with the pain but I need to touch your head. Can I move the blankets down?” Nico asked softly. The blankets moved slowly, like Molly was bracing herself for the oncoming light, but eventually the blankets were low enough that Nico could reach the side of her temple. 

“Oh, wow,” Molly sighed as the magic did its work in her mind, “I like that spell.” 

“Me, too,” Nico chuckled and gestured for Gert to come closer. Gert rounded the bed to sit on Molly’s other side, watching her little sister in wary concern. “Gert said you had weird dreams?” 

“Like Karolina’s,” Molly nodded, “but different. I mean, I saw what she described but like from my own point of view. It was so real,” Molly looked at her sister, studying Gert closely. “You’re okay right? You’re not hurt?” 

“The only thing I am is worried,” Gert replied as she took her little sister’s hand. Nico shared that sentiment. “You and Karolina had the same dream, accompanied by the same headache? There’s got to be something going on here.” 

“What about Chase? Is he okay?” Molly asked, ignoring Gert’s concerns for the moment. 

“Let’s go downstairs and you can see for yourself,” Nico said, “if this is like it was with Karolina, you probably have an hour or so until the pain will come back.” 

“So we should try to figure this out in the next hour. Hopefully we can figure this out before it starts hurting you or Karolina anymore.” Gert said as she helped Molly out of bed. While Nico appreciated the optimism, she had a feeling it would be much more complicated than any of them wanted to figure this out. 

Molly rushed to check on Chase once they got downstairs and pulled him into a hug after she made sure he wasn’t injured in any way. Chase looked confused, but accepted the hug and promised Molly that he was fine. They had moved from the dining room to the den so Karolina could sit comfortably and Nico settled into a seat beside her just as Molly turned from Chase and looked at Karolina. 

“I’m sorry about Julie,” Molly said, “she was a good friend.” Molly squeezed Karolina’s hands softly. Karolina offered her a small smile. 

“She was, but this is worth it,” Karolina replied, smiling over at Nico and then the Chase, Gert, and Alex who were gathered around them. “This is the life we were supposed to have.” 

Molly nodded seriously and hugged Karolina quickly before moving over to Gert and latching on to her sister. 

“What the fuck was that?” Alex asked loudly as he looked between Karolina and Molly. “Who’s Julie?” 

“I-I’m not sure,” Karolina frowned and looked at Nico again. She looked like she was trying to remember something, but the memory wouldn’t come forward. A sharp pain behind her eyes had Karolina rubbing at her forehead with a slight groan. “A friend, I think? Maybe…” 

“Maybe what?” Nico asked when it became clear that Karolina wasn’t going to finish that thought. Molly, from where she was resting against Gert’s shoulder, spoke up. 

“No she was more than a friend, for you. After Nico left, you met her in a psych class right?” Molly had the same expression as Karolina, and the same pain from trying to pull up the buried memory. 

“Right, except that I’ve never taken a psych class and Nico never left,” Karolina and Molly both suddenly gasped and Nico felt a pulse of magic sweep through the room. Karolina’s skin and Molly’s eyes both began to glow as the magic touched them. Gert and Chase both let out a short cry of pain, Gert’s echoed by Old Lace in another room. All four of them collapsed once the magic passed, though luckily none of them were hurt. Gert and Molly both fell back onto the couch and Alex and Nico were able to guide Chase and Karolina to do the same. 

“Again, what the fuck just happened?” Alex asked, moving from Chase to Gert and Molly to check on them. Nico kneeled beside Karolina, tapping her face gently and calling out her name. None of them responded. 

“I have no idea,” Nico said, “but I’m going to find out.” 

~ 

In short order, two portals opened in the foyer of the Hostel. The first was a blue-purple color and revealed Tina Minoru dressed for work with a concerned expression on her face. The second, the golden colored one, revealed Nico’s mentor and the Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Stephen Strange, looking as calm as he always did. 

“Nico, what’s wrong?” Tina asked as she stepped towards her daughter. She only saw Alex in the room as well, standing by the entrance to the den with his back towards them. “What happened?” 

“Yes, I would like to know that as well,” Dr. Strange, said. 

“Thank you both for coming,” Nico bowed at her mentor who returned the motion with a slight nod of his head. “I don’t know what happened but I know it was magical. I felt it. Come see.” 

Nico lead Tina and Strange into the den. Tina stopped next to Alex for a moment to squeeze his shoulder slightly before stepping into the room. It soon became clear what had Nico so distressed and Tina would be lying is she tried to deny that seeing Karolina, Chase, Gert, and Molly all unconscious from an unknown cause made her heart. She knew they kids were all grown up now, and that after what she did she really had no say in any of their lives anyway, but it still hurt to see them like this. She’d known these people their whole lives and she would always be there to look after them and help them when they needed it, even if she knew she would never be forgiven. 

Strange was already using his magic to examine Karolina so Tina moved back to Alex to ask him what had happened. 

“I think it started yesterday,” Alex looked over at Nico. “Nico, Karolina’s headache started yesterday, right?” 

“Yesterday morning,” Nico responded and then looked to her master. “I used a healing spell but the pain came back and it was worse the second time. She was fine this morning until she got up to check on Molly. Molly was complaining of the same headache. I used the same healing spell and it was working,” 

“Then they both came down here and started talking, but they weren’t making any sense. Molly told Karolina she was sorry about someone named Julie, who Karolina was apparently…” Alex trailed off for a moment, his eyes on Nico. Nico looked back down at Karolina as he spoke, “close to Karolina. Except that Karolina can’t remember anything but her name.” 

“Interesting,” Dr. Strange looked at Nico, “you said she had strange dreams the other night?” 

“She said they were like memories, but they were wrong.” 

“She dreamed of events that didn’t happen?” 

“No, they did,” Nico nodded, “but not in the way she dreamed them. She said they felt like memories but she knew they were wrong. It made her head hurt more to think about it.” 

“I’m sure it did,” Dr. Strange touched his apprentice’s shoulder gently. “I can assure you that she is going to be alright, Nico, as will the others.” Nico nodded, trusting Dr. Strange’s words. “Did you recognize the magic that caused this?” 

“I don’t know. It felt like it was my magic, but I didn’t do this. I haven’t done any magic except the healing spells in the past two days.” Nico shook her head and looked at her friend’s unconscious forms before focusing on her girlfriend. Alex moved over to her and held her hand in silent support. “I’d never hurt them.” 

“It is your magic, Nico, but I do not believe that you did this,” Dr. Strange explained, “or rather, not the you that we know.” 

“What does that mean?” Alex questioned protectively. “Nico just said she’d never hurt them. That’s the last thing she’d ever do.” 

“We know that, Alex, Nico,” Tina said softly, waiting for Nico’s silent okay before she moved close enough to touch her daughter. “What Dr. Strange means is that you didn’t do this, Nico. Another version of you did.” 

“Another me? How can there be two of me?” Nico asked. For a moment, her mind went back to when Xavin was with them and shapeshifted into her form. The memory almost made Nico laugh but she knew that now wasn’t the time for that. 

“It’s not you, exactly as you are, but it is you,” Dr. Strange clapped his hands together and activated his magic. Nico’s training as his apprentice kicked in and she sunk into a lotus position to listen to the lecture she knew was coming, though she kept one hand raised and resting along Karolina’s arm. Alex sat down beside her. 

“The world as you know it, is only one of many,” Dr. Strange manipulated his magic and produced a glowing sphere, golden in color, “each world is similar but not exactly the same.” The sphere duplicated several times, each new one a different color. “These worlds take up the same place in time but move at different speeds, and infinite number of realities, all different and all alike. Rarely, very rarely, an event will happen than can cause one reality to change so significantly that it cannot exist in the same way anymore. Those unaware of the alternate realities would never notice the difference but those who do know of them can experience the consequences of these changes. Especially when they are directly responsible for them.” 

“Okay so the mutliverse is real,” Alex said. “Cool.”

“What does that have to do with this?” Nico asked, eyes focused on her mentor. 

“Everything,” Dr. Strange replied. “You and your friends must have altered one of these realities, and no must face the consequences. This was done be an alternate version of you, a last act of magic. A wish to not be forgotten.” 

“Okay, how do we fix it?” Alex asked. Dr. Strange shared a short look with Tina and then Nico before addressing the young man. 

“Not easily,” Dr. Strange gestured to the unconscious figures spread out along the couch. “Your friends have two minds in the space where one should be. They’ll need to work through their memories and correct them into their proper place. Once that is done, they will feel a little off balance for a bit until this new presence becomes dormant in their minds.” 

“Is there any way we can help them?” 

“Yes,” Tina answered, “but the two of you will need to sort through your own memories first.” 

“Nico, you will need to lower your mental defenses to let this magic in. Since you cast the spell, it should be easier for you to regain your sense of self after the memories settle into place.” 

“What about Alex?” Nico asked, ignoring her own fears of letting this magic into her mind for the moment. She needed to save her friends, she could process her fears later. “Why isn’t he affected?” 

“I’m afraid that only you can answer that, Nico. It is your magic at work here.” Dr. Strange ended the spell that had left the colored spheres floating around them and addressed his pupil again. “I know you are wary of opening your mind, but I hope you take comfort in knowing that I will be here, along with your mother,” Dr. Strange added after Tina cleared her throat, “I will not let anything to happen to your or your family.” 

“I know, Master Strange,” Nico rose out of her lotus position and offered her teacher another bow. 

“Nico, maybe you should wait. Give yourself some time to prepare for this,” Alex advised softly. Nico shook her head, just as Alex knew she would. Patience had never been her strong suit, especially not when someone she cared about was in danger. Nico would face this head on and wouldn’t stop until all of their family had returned and recovered, and Alex would be by her side the whole time. 

“No, I’m not waiting,” Nico leaned over and kissed Karolina’s temple. “Watch over them, Alex.” 

Alex nodded and stepped back as Nico moved to the center of the room and again fell into a lotus position. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she lifted her hands. Her palms rested together for a moment and then snapped apart so only the tips of her index fingers touched. In the empty space, a string of magic grew brighter. Alex smiled slightly at the pink-blue light of Nico’s magic that always reminded him of Karolina’s lights. The light of Nico’s magic was slightly darker than Karolina’s neon hues, but still just as beautiful. 

Nico moved her hands in a downward motion and then up, like she was sweeping the magic into her own face. Her hands settled on her knees as her body rose into the air. Her breathing became deep and even, if not for the fact that she was floating half a foot off the ground, Alex would have thought that she was asleep. 

Seeing both Tina and Dr. Strange settling in to wait, Alex did the same. He chose to sit on a beanbag rather than the couch, equal distance from all of his friends. Old Lace came into the room and curled up beneath where Gert and Molly were slumped together. 

Now they simply had to wait until Nico opened her eyes again. 

~

It felt like no time had passed when Nico dropped slowly back to the floor and opened her eyes, ut she knew that she must have been within her own mind for several hours. The sun was higher in the sky, her back was stiff like she had been sitting up right for too long and Alex looked like he was torn between getting up to get some of the food that Nico could smell or staying put to continue keeping watch. Tina and Dr. Strange were in the foyer, discussing a spell by the looks of their hand motions, but they both came back into the den when they could feel Nico’s magic end. 

“Are you alright, Nico?” Tina asked as she approached her daughter. Nico nodded as she climbed to her feet. 

“Fine, I mean it’s a lot to process, but Dr. Strange was right. The new memories are there but dormant. I have to actively look for them to remember it.” Nico looked at Alex, “I know why you’re memories aren’t coming back yet. It was a different you there. An older you. If the spell worked the way I think it did, you won’t ever get your memories of the alternate world.” 

“Why not?” Alex asked curiously. “Did something happen? Did I die?” 

“No, but who you became in that world is much different than who you are here. The spell I cast sent our consciousness out to the closest universe where we were the most like ourselves. There aren’t many differences between our world and the world these memories are from.” 

“I guess that’s a good thing?” Alex blinked and Nico nodded slightly. 

“Trust me it is,” Nico rubbed his shoulder for a moment before stepping over to Dr. Strange, “and he should be able to help the others still, right? He’s in his right mind.” 

“Yes, Alex will still be able to help, as long as Tina is willing to do the same,” 

“Of course, whatever I can do,” Tina agreed immediately, squeezing her daughter’s hand. 

“What are we going to do?” Alex asked, clearly the only one out of the loop. Nico deferred to Dr. Strange for the explanation since she knew she wasn’t the best at explaining how the magic worked. 

“We are going to transfer your consciousness to one of your friends, temporarily. You can help lead them through the memories and then coach them through waking up. Your consciousness will return to your own mind as soon as they wake up,” Dr. Strange explained to Alex simply. “You can only enter one other mind at a time. Alex, I will aide you in guiding your consciousness out of back to your own mind and Tina will do the same with Nico.” 

“Okay,” Alex agreed easily. He may not trust Tina, or Dr. Strange, but Nico trusted them both enough for this and Alex trusted Nico. He knew she wouldn’t do anything to put them in more danger. “Nico will help Karolina first, so I’ll-” 

“No, Karolina will take longer than the others,” Nico shook her head. “I’ll wake up Chase first, and you can help Gert. The one of you can help Molly while I help Karolina.” 

“Okay then,” Alex wanted to ask why Karolina would need the extra effort but he had a feeling that it had something to do with the spell Nico cast. Alex would take Nico’s word for it and ask her about it later. “Let’s get this started.” 

Dr. Strange and Tina nodded at one another and then directed Alex and Nico to sit on the floor in front of the first person they’d be helping. They did so, Nico pausing to kiss Karolina again and whispered something to her, and both closed their eyes as Dr. Strange and Tina began to chant in unison. 

Alex has the oddest feeling that he’s flying until his feet touch something that’s solid but not completely. It reminds him of walking on a trampoline, the way he bounces slightly but can steady himself even as the material underneath his feet gives way. When he opens his eyes, he’s expecting to be in an empty space like he’d seen in so many movies. Instead, he’s standing in the Hostel but not his Hostel. This is the Hostel before he and Chase started renovating everything. 

“Gert?” Alex calls out, noting the echo-like quality of his voice. “Gert?” 

“Alex?” Gert calls back. He follows the echoes until he finds Gert crouched behind an old, broken, lounge seat in the foyer. “Alex, where am I? What’s happening? How are you here? Where is here?” 

“You’re safe, Gert. We’re in your mind. It’s a complicated story but basically an alternate Nico cast a spell that made our minds merge with alternate versions of ourselves. You need to sort out which memories are yours and which ones are other Gert’s before we can both wake up.” Alex explained as quickly as possible, beggin Gert with his eyes to not ask questions about the magic because he didn’t know how to answer any of those questions. 

“Right, okay, that makes sense,” Gert pushes the hair out of her eyes. “Actually, that makes no sense but it does explain why everything feels so off in here.” 

“I guess you saw what Karolina did in her dreams?” Alex asked. Gert nodded slightly. 

“Just the version where I died,” Gert shook herself out like she was checking to make sure she was actually still alive. “That was trip.” 

“I know you’re being sarcastic to ignore what it was actually like to watch yourself die, but we can talk about that later. Right now, you need to pull your memories apart. These new memories don’t belong here and you can make them dormant.” 

“Right. And how do I do that?” Gert asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“I..don’t know. Dr. Strange didn’t explain that part.” Alex pushed his glasses up along his nose. Gert shot him an annoyed look. “I guess just focus on them, or the difference between them. You know what really happened the night we fought Morgan. Remember that night, the way we remember it and push the other version to the side.” 

Gert nodded slightly, muttering under her breath to psych herself up before closing her eyes. Alex looked around as the Hostel began to shift until he was watching himself and his friends battle Morgan La Fay again, but it wasn’t the way he remembered it. It was the way Karolina had described, Gert had just collapsed to the floor where an alarmingly large amount of blood began to stain the space around her when the memory flipped in on itself and then it played out exactly as Alex remembered. He closed his eyes. 

When he opened his eyes again, he was looking at an overjoyed Old Lace rubbing against a very much awake Gert. 

“You good Gert?” Alex asked, shaking out his limbs to get the blood flowing through his body again. 

“I’m good,” Gert nodded. “What about the others?” 

“Nico’s helping Chase right now and I need a few minutes, but I can help Molly. Nico will help Karolina after Chase wakes up.” Alex explained, taking off his glasses to rub at his eyes. 

“Alex, maybe you should let Gert help Molly,” Tina said softly. “A spell like that can be very draining for non-magic people. It wouldn’t be safe to do it twice so soon together.” 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. If you’re up for it Gert?” Alex looked to his friend and saw her nodding her agreement. “Great, I need something to eat.” 

As Tina explained what would happen to Gert and started the spell again, Alex made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a box of the takeout he had ordered earlier. He never knew mentally travelling from your brain to someone else’s and then back would leave him so hungry. Nico’s magic was cool and all, but Alex thought he would prefer the predictability of computers any day. He grabbed an extra box and a fork and carried it into the other room. Nico was just coming out of her own trance when Alex came back into the den. Alex handed her the food without a word. 

“Thanks, Alex,” Nico said as she opened the box and started to eat quickly. Alex nodded in acknowledgement and then turned to Chase. 

“Everything okay up there?” He gestured to Chase’s head. 

“A little jumbled but yeah,” Chase tapped his hands against his knees. “Nico said you won’t remember any of that stuff?” 

“I guess not.” Alex shrugged. “If this is what you have to go through to remember, I’m not sure I want too.” 

“That’s fair,” Chase chuckled and then clapped Alex’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back buddy.” 

Alex wasn’t sure how to respond but luckily he was saved from having to do so by Gert and Molly both waking up just then. Alex ran back to the kitchen to get some food for Gert which he handed to her once she and Chase were done smothering each other and Molly in hugs. 

Nico nodded at Alex, silently asking him to field any questions for her as she sat down on the floor next to Karolina. Alex nodded back and began filling his other friends on what Dr. Strange had explained earlier while Nico entered Karolina’s mind. 

~

Nico appeared right behind Karolina and she breathed a sigh of relief that she wouldn’t have to spend too long searching for her. It had taken her ages to find Chase. 

“Karrie?” Nico said as she approached, waiting for Karolina to turn around. Nico wasn’t sure what she was expecting from Karolina when she did turn, if Karolina would have pieced together some of what had happened from the alternate memories or not. 

“Nico,” Karolina turned to her and smiled radiantly. “I knew you’d find me.” 

“I promised I would,” Nico replied as she pulled Karolina into her arms. One arm circled Karolina’s shoulders to cup the back of her hand while her other hand rested against the small of Karolina’s back. “I’m sorry, all of this is my fault.” 

“What are you talking about?” Karolina asked as she pulled away slightly. Nico looked at the Hostel, the alternate version they were standing, and lead Karolina over to the stairs where they both sat down. Without letting go of Karolina’s hand, Nico explained where Karolina’s headache had come from and what the new memories meant. 

“You and Molly were affected so strongly because you were the closest to me when I cast the spell. You especially because I was desperate to not lose you again.” Nico finished her explanation and waited for Karolina’s reaction. 

“That’s a lot to take in,” Karolina said. Nico nodded slightly and seemed to shrink in on herself like she was expecting Karolina to disapprove. Karolina didn’t. “I’m glad you cast that spell, though.” 

“You’re glad I hurt you?” Nico scoffed. Karolina shook her head and pulled Nico closer to her. 

“You didn’t mean to hurt me, we both know that. I know that you’d never do anything to hurt me. But I’m glad you did this spell, or that alternate you did this spell or however it works.” Karolina laughed softly. “Watching this other universe, some parts of it hurt a lot,” Nico looked away, knowing that Karolina was talking about the three years that her alternate self had left for, without so much as a goodbye, “but this is a story that deserves to be remembered. You kept your promise to me, you found me again. You made sure that it wasn’t the end for any of us.” 

“When you say it like it makes me sound like a hero,” Nico let a small smile cross her lips as Karolina used one hand to tilt her chin up. 

“You are a hero,” Karolina whispered. “You’re my hero, in every reality.” Karolina closed the space between their lips. They kissed softly for a moment before pulling apart and resting their foreheads together. 

“I love you, Karrie,” Nico whispered. “In this reality and every other one.” 

“I love you, too, Nico. I always have and I always will.” 

They kissed again and Nico felt the world around them dissolving as she and Karolina moved back to their own minds. When she opened her eyes again to find all of her friends awake and well again, Karolina smiling at her radiantly as she sat up, it was almost enough to ignore the little voice in her head telling her that she should pull out that little black bag she’d been carrying around for months, but she decided to wait just a little longer. Until she and Karolina were alone in their bedroom (because she knew that they’d be staying at the Hostel again that night) and then she would ask the question that had been on the tip of her tongue for so long. 

“So what happened was, a me in an alternate universe died fighting against Morgan,” Gert began the process of them making sense of their new memories together later that evening when it was just them in Hostel again, sitting around the dinner table with an insane amount of pizza being passed around, “and we fell apart for a little while.”

“I went back to Atlas, Chase became a hermit,” Molly ignored the bit of pepperoni Chase flicked at her, “Alex started working with his dad, Karolina majored in Psychology and Nico…” 

“Left for three years to master magic,” Nico picked up the story, “and she had just gotten back to town when an Alex from the future showed up at her doorstep and tried to kill her.” 

“And then a future me showed up to save her and get the band back together,” Chase took a bite out of his slice of pizza. “Which I did and we figured out that Future Alex was going to attack K’s new girl,” 

“Can we not talk about that part?” Nico requested, “It’s weird enough knowing that an alternate version of me left her,” Nico said the last part quietly, wondering how the other Nico had convinced herself to leave. She could probably figure it out if she looked through her other memories, but she wasn’t that curious. It was enough for her to know that she hadn’t made the same mistake. Karolina squeezed Nico’s thigh where her hand was resting beneath the table, and picked up the story from there, 

“Future Alex time travelled again to the day before we all reunited to keep it from happening. We stopped him and then made one last jump to the battle against Morgan to save Gert.” 

“Where I knocked myself out,” Chase said, “and I think I knocked out Future Alex, too.” 

“I told my past self to not leave Karolina this time,” Nico glanced over at her girlfriend and they shared a soft smile. 

“Future Chase kept me from completing the salt circle and faced Morgan on his own. After the circle was complete, Tina came in and banished Morgan back to the Dark Dimension,” 

“And all of our future selves disappeared,” Molly reached for the box of pepperoni pizza and pulled out another two slices for herself. 

“And I cast a spell to make sure that our story wasn’t over,” Nico finished the tale and pushed her own empty plate away from herself. 

“And I can’t remember any of this because the version of me that disappeared was apparently evil and hell-bent on killing Nico, and nothing like the me that exists in this universe,” Alex shook his head. “Yeah I think I’m okay with not having these memories.” 

“There are certain ones I could do without,” Nico muttered. Karolina squeezed her thigh again. “But that’s everything in a nutshell.” 

“And here I thought we were done with all the crazy things happening in our lives.” Chase said. Gert leaned against his shoulder. 

“Your fiancee has a pet dinosaur,” Gert told him, both of them smiling, “Our lives are always going to be crazy,” 

“I’m okay with that,” Chase said and kissed the top of Gert’s head. 

~

Later, Nico followed Karolina into their bedroom and held her close as they curled up together on the bed. Karolina rested her head against Nico’s chest, her ear over Nico’s heart and one arm thrown lazily across Nico’s stomach. Nico absently stroked Karolina’s back with one hand, the other mindlessly playing with their joined hands. 

“How’s your head?” Nico asked, dropping a kiss into Karolina’s hair. 

“Much better now,” Karolina snuggled closer. “It’s weird to think I have two different sets of memories now, but I guess we’ll get used to it.” 

“I feel like I should apologize for leaving you, even though it wasn’t actually me who left,” Nico admitted softly. Karolina lifted her head so she could look Nico in the eyes. 

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, Nico. It wasn’t you, that didn’t happen to us.” Karolina said, gently holding Nico’s chin as she spoke. 

“I still feel guilty about it,” Nico said a little sheepishly. Karolina smiled at her. 

“Don’t be guilty,” Karolina leaned forward to kiss her quickly. “Just promise me you won’t leave in this reality.” 

“I won’t. I don’t want to leave you, Karrie, ever. I was actually planning to set up some kind of elaborate proposal but I guess spontaneity has always been our thing,” Nico wormed her way out from underneath Karolina until she could reach into her pocket and pull out the black velvet bag. 

“Nico,” Karolina whispered, eyes wide in surprise and joy as Nico opened the bag and let the ring fall into her palm. The band was thin, the design simple but beautiful and the diamond in the center shown brilliantly. 

“I love you Karolina, more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I never want to be apart from you, in any lifetime. This has always been my greatest hope, to spend forever with you. Will you marry me?” 

“Yes, Nico, yes! Of course I’ll marry you,” Karolina cried, barely managing to hold her hand steady enough for Nico to slip the ring onto her finger before she threw her arms around her future bride. “I love you so much.” 

Nico pulled far enough out of the hug to connect her lips to Karolina’s, cradling the back of her head with one hand and her waist with the other. She felt Karolina smiling against her lips, her hands pulling Nico closer and closer, shifting their bodies so Nico was laying on her back with Karolina hovering over her as their mouths moved in the familiar dance that only they knew the steps too. 

Nico was sure that she had never been as happy, in any reality, as she was in that moment. 

**Author's Note:**

> I should definitly be asleep but it's fine. Hope you guys enjoyed this and I'll see you for the next one!
> 
> As always, feel free to come yell at me on [Tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ambs-writes)


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